Lithuania threatens border closure and increased security measures after Belarusian meteorological balloons violate airspace and migration attempts rise.

On April 9, 2026, Belarus launched meteorological balloons that violated Lithuanian airspace and caused a restriction of over seven hours above Vilnius airport, posing a threat to civil aviation. Lithuania's Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly protested Belarus, demanding immediate cessation of systematic violations of its airspace and border. Lithuania also highlighted an increase in organized illegal migration attempts, with 347 attempts stopped by Lithuanian services so far this year. Lithuania warned it reserves the right to re-close border crossing points and take additional measures to defend its airspace, civil aviation, and national security if violations continue. Previously, from October to November 2025, Lithuania closed the Belarusian border for several weeks with limited crossings; Belarus responded by restricting Lithuanian-registered trucks, only allowing their release in late March 2026.